


Hive Hearted

by Impatiens_capensis



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Beekeeping, Bees, Fluff, Hope's Peak Academy AU, Hurt/Comfort, I intended this as romantic but it could probably be read platonically, I read Gonta's FTEs before writing this but not Ryouma's, M/M, projecting human values onto bees, so I'm probably missing some details about Ryouma, there's a brief mention of smoking near the beginning, this is pretty cheesy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-10
Updated: 2017-08-10
Packaged: 2018-12-13 11:17:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11758710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Impatiens_capensis/pseuds/Impatiens_capensis
Summary: Ryouma is nervous about bees, but is willing to visit the hive Gonta has on the Hope's Peak campus because Gonta cares a lot both about Ryouma and his bee friends. They end up talking about their lives and what they want to accomplish by attending Hope's Peak.Written for the NDRV3 Christmas in July Gift Exchange.





	Hive Hearted

**Author's Note:**

  * For [gokuharas](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gokuharas/gifts).



Ryouma watched as Gonta used his lighter to set fire to one end of a rolled of strip of burlap. It smelled woody and rich. Not sweet like tobacco at all. Gonta placed it inside the barrel of the beehive smoker and handed the lighter back to Ryouma. Gonta puffed the smoker a few times and smiled. "Okay! Are you ready to say hello to the bees!?"

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be," Ryouma said. He didn't... dislike bees. It was only reasonable to be cautious around stinging insects, all he had was a reasonable caution. But Gonta was insistent that Ryouma should meet the bees and become their good friends.

"There is nothing to worry about, Gonta promises. Bees are far nicer to humans than humans are to bees." Ryouma thought that if bees were really so nice, he wouldn't have to wear a thick suit with a mesh hood to go out and see them, but he held his tongue. He got what Gonta meant, there was no need to be mean in return. And the suit meant he wasn't going to get stung. Gonta walked over to the beehive and puffed smoke at the entrance with a cheery "greetings friends!"

Ryouma walked around the side of the hive slowly, stopping a few meters away from Gonta. There were bees in the air, but for the most part, they were staying close to the hive. It was a safe distance.

Gonta lifted the lid off of the bee hive and placed it upside down. He opened up the hive, moved some things around, and then held up a frame. "Come over and greet the bee friends, Hoshi-kun!"

"Just as long as I don't have to hold the frame. I know the bees are nice, but fear doesn't go away so easily."

Gonta frowned, but he didn't get angry. "You don't have to hold the frame! Gonta understands! There will be a start to reconciliation here today only."

Ryouma walked over to Gonta, who held the frame down by his waist so Ryouma could get a good look. The bees climbed up and down the frame minding their own business, not flying near Ryouma at all. Watching them walk around doing their own thing reminded him a little of being a kid and watching ants crawl around on the sidewalk. "It looks like they're busy," Ryouma noted casually.

Gonta smiled warmly. "The bees are busy taking good care of their sisters. Honeybees are dedicated to each other in that way."

"That's nice." It was sweet, it really was, but it hurt Ryouma to think of such a tightly knit community looking out for each other. If he sounded terse, that was why. He noticed a bee passing food to another by mouth. Gross. Beautiful. Distant.

After a moment of Ryouma watching the bees, Gonta interrupted his thoughts. "Gonta is sorry, but he should probably put the hive back together. He has already seen everything he needs to and it's not good to interrupt the hive too much or too long."

"It's fine, I promise." Ryouma shrugged as he watched Gonta put the bees away. "The bees are cool, though. You were right, they didn't try to sting me. I'm not sure they even noticed me."

"I think they probably noticed you, but you were not being particularly threatening, so they chose to ignore you." Gonta started fidgeting nervously. "Gonta knows he said this before, but the bees are going to avoid stinging you except in the most dire situations, if you're stealing their food supply, because they die if they sting you. So there's nothing to worry about, especially in a beekeeping suit."

"Right, you did say that. I don't mind you repeating it, though." Hoshi nodded.

"You don't mind? Gonta's glad!"

"This suit is damn hot, though. Let's go put it away." Hoshi started walking ahead and Gonta only took a few strides to catch up with him.

\---

Once they had gotten out of the suits, Gonta and Ryouma sat down with some water.

"Gokuhara, would you ever want to be a bee?" Ryouma asked abruptly.

"Hm. Gonta's thought about that sort of thing, but he's fine with being a human. This way he's able to teach other humans, so they can learn to respect insects and his mountain family. It is a valuable opportunity to be presented with." Gonta smiled gently at Ryouma. "Why is it that you ask?"

Ryouma looked down and grunted. "I guess I'm just not that familiar with close bonds like that anymore, with the whole being a criminal thing. I want to know what it would be like to have so many people looking out for me. That's sad, isn't it? Sorry for dropping all that on you."

Gonta's eyes widened, distress clear on his face. When he spoke, it was firm and loud, but not rushed. "You are not a burden on Gonta. Gonta cares about you incredibly, he would absolutely protect you if need be. Gonta would like to believe our classmates care about you, too. You are not alone."

Ryouma knew Gonta was this kind-hearted and that Gonta cared about him. But somehow, such a strong reaction took him off guard. He blinked blankly and then took a sip of his water, letting the words sink in. "You're as loyal as a bee even as a human, aren't you? Thank you. You're right, I'm not alone. And really, this is what I came to Hope's Peak for, anyway, a second chance to be part of the world. Honestly, thank you."

"Can Gonta put his hand around your shoulder?"

Ryouma smiled. "Go ahead."

So Gonta put his hand around Ryouma's shoulder. "Gonta likes that you're a part of his world."

**Author's Note:**

> I took a class about bees and worked with an actual beekeeper, so that's where my knowledge on the topic comes from. 
> 
> Anyway, comments are the number one thing that encourages me to keep writing fan fiction, so if you enjoyed this and want me to continue putting out work, please leave a comment! I do my best to respond to every one.


End file.
